CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Only seven sophomore pacing colts signed up to play in the sandbox with Somebeachsomewhere on Sunday night, so Ontario Sires Stakes fans will have to wait another week to see the colt make his Gold Series debut at Mohawk Racetrack.
With no need for an elimination, all eight colts will move directly to the Aug. 10 Gold Final, which will now be worth a cool $180,000.
To console racing fans looking forward to another �Beach Party,’ Mohawk Racetrack crafted a $50,000 three-year-old open for this Sunday’s program, and Guelph resident Paul MacDonell will steer Somebeachsomewhere after his eleventh win from Post 5. Five of the colts slated to race against the North America Cup champion in the Gold Final will also test the waters Sunday.
With a two week gap since the colt’s last race, a dramatic runner-up finish in the 1:47 Meadowlands Pace Final, trainer Brent MacGrath trained Somebeachsomewhere at Mohawk on Wednesday morning and says the gifted pacer is in top form.
“I trained him today in 2:07 over Mohawk,” reports MacGrath, who heads up the Schooner Stables of Bible Hill, NS. “He loves to work every day. He’s probably, in his whole life, had five days off. He doesn’t like to stand in the barn. He goes out to the track bouncing.”
MacGrath adds that the Mach Three son has bounced back well from his first ever loss, enjoyed the trip to New Jersey and seems to be looking forward to the next challenge his trainer and driver throw at him.
“He just loves change. He loves something different,” says the horseman. “Test barn, retention barn; he likes them too.”
While MacDonell and Somebeachsomewhere attempt to kick off another win streak, Gold Series regulars Keystone Horatio, The Mohegan Pan and Deuce Seelster will be hunting for his Achilles heel in advance of next Sunday’s lucrative Gold Final.
Coming off a 1:50.4 win in the Canadian Breeder Championship on July 26, Keystone Horatio and Randy Waples will start from Post 1. The Mohegan Pan and driver Steve Condren, runner-ups in the Canadian Breeders final, will start from Post 2, and Deuce Seelster, who has enjoyed a break in his campaign since finishing seventh in his Meadowlands Pace Elimination, gets Post 3.
The other two contestants in Sunday’s event, Romantic Thriller (Post 4) and Roman Rocks (Post 6) will also compete in next week’s Gold Final, making their sophomore debut in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, along with Lyons Geoff and Lucky Man, whose trainers opted to skip Sunday’s $50,000 tune up.
Post time at Mohawk Racetrack this Sunday, Aug. 3 is 7:30 pm, with the three-year-old open slated for Race 7. After Sunday’s battle, Ontario’s talented three-year-old pacing colts will spend the week harnessing their energy for the $180,000 Gold Final at the Campbellville oval on Sunday. Aug. 10. Post positions for the Gold Final will be drawn at Mohawk on Sunday evening.